"Malevolent" is the word Grammer uses to describe his big bad, Harold Attinger. "He’s a no-nonsense guy," he told Empire. "He’s lived his life in the shadows for 30 years in the service of his country, and he likes to be unremarkable yet very efficient."

What of his first collaboration with the ringmaster? "I don’t know if Michael has seen Frasier," laughed Grammer. "He’s been very respectful and funny. He’s a terrific guy and quite a filmmaker. He just said to me the other day, 'You’re Kelsey Grammer - you can do whatever you want to do.' So I guess he at least has some acquaintance with my work."

So what would Frasier Crane make of all the Bayhem? "Well, you know what? I think he might find it offensive in some ways, but there was always a bit of Frasier that wasn’t completely a snob. He always liked blowing up things, too, if he could! When he would discover his inner child, he would revel in it, and I think Transformers is one of those things."

The next in the Transformers franchise is set four years after the invasion of Chicago seen in Transformers: Dark Of The Moon. Alongside Grammer, Mark Wahlberg will play a struggling inventor and single father to Tessa (Nicola Peltz), who in turn is going out with race car driver Shane (Reynor). Sophia Myles, Stanley Tucci, T.J. Miller, Titus Welliver, Bingbing Li, Victoria Summer and Geng Han are also aboard.

Transformers: Age Of Extinction is aiming for a June 27 release next year. Pick up a copy of Empire's November issue - on sale on September 26 - in the meantime for our big celebration of all things Frasier.